1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for setting the spacing of an appliance from a surface. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for setting, leveling and maintaining the spacing of an appliance from a floor or other surface.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Free standing ranges, dishwashers, and other appliances are often equipped with floor support arrangements that can be deployed to ensure the level support of the appliance on a floor or other support surface. It is desirable to have a level support for an appliance to promote, for example, efficient operation of the appliance or to ensure the optimum orientation for opening and closing doors or access lids.
Various floor support arrangements have been proposed for setting the height of each corner of the appliance. One such conventional floor support arrangement includes a floor-contact foot secured to the lower end of a threaded rod that itself is threaded into an aperture on the appliance. The aperture may be configured as an annular cut out in a bottom structure of the appliance and the aperture edge has a diameter sized relative to the threaded rod such that the aperture edge threads onto the threaded rod in a manner similar to the threading of a nut onto a bolt.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,815 discloses a self-locking support mechanism for leveling an appliance relative to the floor. The device includes a rotatable cam member having a pivot point, a cam surface to contact the floor for height adjustment, and a radius surface relative to the pivot point. The cam member rotates by a pin through the pivot point and a slot in the support member, and the pin is slidably movable within the slot. The slot and support end wall are spaced from each other and converge toward each other in a direction away from the floor so that upon rotating the cam member, the pin is moved within the slot away from the floor and the cam member radius surface abuts the support end wall to lock the cam member in the adjusted disposition.
In connection with the task of setting the spacing from a floor of an appliance such as a free standing range, it would be desirable if such a floor support arrangement was stable and could resist any movement thereof acting to dismount or disengage the floor support arrangement from the appliance.